Worcester police twice were sent to check on former head librarian

Friday

Jul 25, 2014 at 6:00 AMJul 25, 2014 at 8:30 PM

TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

WORCESTER — While city officials have declined to discuss the reason for Christopher J. Korenowsky's sudden resignation as head librarian of the Worcester Public Library, police records show officers were sent to his downtown apartment twice since early June to check on his well-being.

At 3:21 p.m. June 3, officers were sent to Mr. Korenowsky's apartment, according to police.

The publicly-available incident log entry for the weekday call doesn't provide any details or state who requested the well-being check for Mr. Korenowsky, who had been on the job for just five months.

At 2:28 p.m. July 14, officers again were asked to check on Mr. Korenowsky at his apartment in the Skymark Tower at 600 Main St., according to the police incident log.

Mr. Korenowsky had not shown up for work at the library that day or the previous Thursday, according to police.

Two days later, on July 16, Mr. Korenowsky sent a letter of resignation to the president of the library board of directors, Deborah S. Packard.

City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr. told city councilors at their meeting Tuesday night that Mr. Korenowsky's sudden resignation after five months on the job was a "unique personnel issue" that he couldn't discuss.

Mr. Korenowsky has not responded to telephone and email messages or to a note left at his apartment seeking comment.

On Thursday, the city denied a request from the Telegram & Gazette for a copy of Mr. Korenowsky's resignation letter. City lawyers maintain his resignation letter is exempt from release under the state Public Records Law because it contains protected personnel file information.

Mr. Korenowsky was paid $112,000 a year but had no contract with the city, according to a city spokesman. The city, again citing the personnel information exemption, also withheld the official letter offering the head librarian job to Mr. Korenowsky.

The library board appointed consultant and former board member Tracey Leger-Hornby as interim head librarian for at least three months while a search for a permanent replacement is mounted.

Mr. Korenowsky, who was named to the position in February and started in March, was the fourth head librarian since Penelope Johnson retired in 2009 after 18 years at the helm, not counting an associate director who served on an interim basis.

Ms. Johnson's successor, Lucy Gangone, left in March 2010. The next head librarian, Mark Contois, left in 2012 and was succeeded by Wei Jeng-Chu, who retired last year. John Weedon was interim head librarian before Mr. Korenowsky was hired.